Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a computer-readable recording medium storing a program, and in particular, relates to an image forming apparatus which is used in a printing process management system constituted of a printing process management apparatus and a printing instruction apparatus and which performs printing upon receiving an printing instruction from the printing instruction apparatus, and a computer-readable recording medium storing a program used for the control of the image forming apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
In a printing flow using JDF (Job Definition Format) collaboration, printing and post-processing work is performed in a state of connecting a process management application referred to as an MIS (Management Information System), an imposition and plate-making application referred to as CTP (Computer To Plate)-WF (Workflow), an image forming apparatus, a post-processor, and the like.
The JDF corresponds to a printing instruction (written job instruction). The JDF describes job instruction information such as printing setting, customer information, and delivery time. The MIS instructs the CTP-WF to execute a job. Upon receiving the instruction, a CTP-WF operator allocates the job to the image forming apparatus and the post-processor to thereby cause the image forming apparatus and the post-processor to execute printing processing.
However, the CTP-WF has a poor printing setting function, and there is a case where the printing setting instructed by the MIS cannot be applied to the image forming apparatus. Furthermore, some of the CTP-WFs do not have a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for the printing setting, and cause a job template file describing the job setting to be selected at the time of job input. In this case, printing is performed only for printing setting stored as a preset setting.
Therefore, a hot folder is created on the side of the image forming apparatus, and operation of using the hot folder is performed as to a print item which cannot be set by the CTP-WF (refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-112237, for example).